Harger: Democracy only works if you vote, participate in Election Day
Nov 3, 2025, 8:01 AM | Updated: 1:54 pm
Tomorrow is Election Day, and it’s one of my favorite days of the year.
I know that sounds strange, given how ugly our politics have become, but hear me out.
We’ve been running this American experiment for nearly 250 years. Every time we vote, we’re doing exactly what the founders intended: arguing with everything we’ve got, then counting the ballots and moving forward.
Last year’s presidential election drew nearly 80% of Washington voters — almost four million ballots. People who hadn’t voted in years suddenly remembered where their nearest drop box was.
This year? We’ll be lucky to hit 39%. Less than half the turnout, even though these local races shape your daily life far more than any president ever could.
Your city council decides whether homeless encampments get cleared, streets get repaved, and what gets built in your neighborhood. The school board determines what your kids learn and which books they read. County officials set your property taxes. Your public utility district controls your water bill. The city attorney and local judges determine what happens to the person who broke into your car.
The president has opinions about all these things, but your local officials actually control them.
Yet twice as many people vote for president as vote for the person who decides when their garbage gets picked up.
It’s like obsessing over the NFL draft while ignoring who coaches your kid’s little league team. The draft is exciting, sure, but the coach determines whether your kid plays or warms the bench.
Tomorrow, plenty of candidates you can’t stand will win. Maybe candidates that most people you know can’t stand. But the majority will have spoken, and that’s what matters. Not the loudest voices, not the biggest donors. The majority.
And here’s the beautiful part: If they fail, we fire them. Two years, four years, six years, whatever their term. They’re employees, not royalty. We’ve shown plenty the door before.
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Prioritize your local elections
But this only works if you vote.
If that ballot is still on your kitchen counter, I don’t want to hear you complain about anything for the next two years. Democrat, Republican, independent, it doesn’t matter. Drop it off today. Not tomorrow when you remember. Today.
You know what else happens tomorrow? Somewhere in America, someone who fled a country where votes don’t matter will cast their first ballot as a new citizen. They understand what we sometimes forget: the luxury of choosing your leaders, of firing them peacefully, of arguing about politics without fear.
That person knows tomorrow isn’t just another Tuesday. It’s proof that power flows from citizens to government, not the other way around.
We get to argue. We get to choose. We get to change our minds next time.
Tomorrow is a miracle disguised as a mundane civic duty. Treat it accordingly.
Use your ballot. Make tomorrow my favorite day for the right reason: because democracy worked exactly as designed: it’s messy, it’s beautiful, and it’s ours.
That’s the commentary for Nov. 3. Text us at (888) 973-5476 or leave a comment at MyNorthwest.
Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.
